Chapter 78: Shadows beneath celebration
The gown shimmered like midnight silk as Seraphina stood before the mirror, fastening the last piece of her disguise.
Her fingers glided across the artificial skin she had grafted onto herself, the mask so perfect it gave her a new face, a stranger’s face.
She tilted her head, studying her reflection, her lips curving into a smile both venomous and triumphant.
"Luca Morano," she whispered to the glass. "My sweet darling brother. So gentle... so blind.
You always thought blood bound us, but you forget blood is the very thing that burns the deepest."
The laughter that escaped her throat was low and sharp, carrying no joy.
She adjusted her gown, smoothing its folds, and whispered again, "I want my share in Father’s empire... or perhaps everything."
With one last look at her fabricated skin, Seraphina slipped out of the bathroom.
She blended into the corridors of the Morano mansion, her arm entwined with that of a young man she had bribed to act as her escort.
Together, they passed the first security checkpoint at the gates.
Convincing the guards had not been easy, her lips still ached from smiling too sweetly, her voice still raw from feigned laughter.
But at last, she was inside.
Now came the dangerous part.
The grand hall brimmed with music and laughter, masked beneath the layers of wealth and celebration.
Yet Seraphina’s eyes sought only one place - Luca’s private chambers.
She drifted through the crowd, then slipped away like smoke, unnoticed.
The lock to his chamber glowed faintly under the soft candlelight of the corridor.
She pressed her fingers against the keypad, her eyes narrowing.
A soft click followed when she entered the code.
The door opened, She stepped inside.
Rows of safes lined the walls like loyal soldiers, each impenetrable to ordinary hands.
Seraphina smirked, her fingers brushing over the metallic surface.
She whispered one word
"Alessia."
The sound of tumblers clicking open filled the silence.
The safe yielded, Seraphina’s pulse quickened.
She rifled through the documents, page after page of deeds, contracts, accounts.
She didn’t know exactly what she sought, but greed told her to take everything.
She stuffed the files under her gown, securing them against her body with practiced ease.
As she slipped out, footsteps echoed in the hallway.
She pressed her body flat against the wall.
Guards walked past, their eyes forward, never seeing the shadow that was Seraphina.
She exhaled, the thrill intoxicating.
Her heels clicked softly against the floor as she descended.
But fate, as always, had its cruel tricks.
Two white papers slipped from beneath her gown and fluttered silently to the ground, She didn’t notice.
But Daisy did.
The ever-watchful lady’s eyes narrowed as she bent to retrieve the papers. "Morano Properties," the heading read. Daisy’s heart thudded.
Her gaze lifted to the retreating figure of the strange woman.
An arrow-shaped mark glared from the back of her neck.
Daisy’s breath caught. Only one person carried that mark.
"It was Seraphina," she whispered.
*****
Up on the balcony, the air smelled of roses and soft wine.
Alessia stood beside her mother, who pressed her hand warmly against her daughter’s.
Her voice was soft, but worry laced her words.
"My child, you must be careful. Stress is a poison you cannot afford not now, not with the second life growing within you."
Alessia’s heart trembled. She wanted to laugh off the concern, but her mother’s eyes held too much truth. "I will be fine, Mama," she said gently.
But before Alessia could retreat, her mother drew out a small wooden box.
Its surface was aged, its carvings etched with cryptic patterns that seemed to shimmer under the moonlight.
Alessia froze. She had seen this box before... once carried by Lauretta Morano, whispered about in hushed tones, and once, sent by a magpie that Luca had accidentally shot from the skies.
"Mother?" Alessia’s voice was a breath. "What is this?"
Her mother’s expression hardened with gravity. "Something you were always destined to hold. Lauretta gave it to me through you some months ago, you remember??? instructing me to keep it until the time was right. And tonight... the time has come."
Alessia reached for it, hesitant, reverent.
Her fingers brushed the lid, but the box remained sealed, unmoving.
"You will know its secret now that you are meant to, my daughter," her mother whispered, kissing her forehead. "Guard it with your life."
As she departed, the shadows stirred.
Seraphina, hidden behind the balcony’s pillars, watched with unblinking eyes.
Her lips curved into a hungry smile.
"Tonight truly is my lucky night."
Later, Alessia carried the box to her chambers.
The code to her room clicked under her fingers, and she set the relic upon her bed.
She lingered, studying its gleam, before duty called her back to the hall.
The moment she left, Seraphina struck.
She entered with the same password Alessia had used moments earlier, her steps light, her breath held.
She saw the box. The golden glow of it made her heart race.
Without hesitation, she seized it, tucking it beneath her gown.
Then she vanished, the door closing silently behind her.
Downstairs, Alessia bumped into Daisy.
"There you are," Daisy exclaimed. "I have been searching everywhere..."
Alessia laughed softly. "I was with my mother. We had a quiet talk."
But Daisy’s face was troubled.
She handed Alessia the papers she had retrieved. "Seraphina is here. These fell from her gown. She’s stolen something... something dangerous."
Alessia’s blood chilled.
"Find her," she said urgently. "Before she escapes."
*****
Meanwhile, Seraphina returned to her secret lair.
She locked herself away, stripped off the false skin, and revealed her true face in the mirror.
The disguise had fallen, but her victory had not.
She set the golden box upon the table, her eyes alight with hunger.
"Open," she whispered.
But the box mocked her. No keyhole.... No seams... No weakness. She summoned her some of her men, each one sworn to her cause.
"Break it," she ordered.
They tried every method. Blades snapped, Flames lighten, even molten fire could not scar it.
Seraphina’s fury boiled, She dismissed them at last, her voice cold as steel.
"You have two days. Study every source, find me every secret. Fail me again, and you will bleed for it."
The men bowed, leaving her alone with her obsession.
Her hands clenched the box as if it could hear her vow.
"I will own you. And through you... everything."
****
Far away, Bianca walked down Garam Street, clutching her son’s hand. She bad made up her mind negatively.
The boy’s innocence tugged at her heart even as her plans tightened their noose.
"Vacation"... That was the promise. But her true destination was darker, the home of her master, who had demanded the boy’s blue eyes as payment.
Her heart raced, her steps faltered, but she pressed on.
She prayed her deception would work, prayed the child’s guardian would not resist.
She will bribe the boy with candies, her smile trembling as her soul weighed heavy with sin.
Her hope was fragile, but it was all she had left.
*****
At the Morano estate, chaos brewed.
Daisy’s warnings spread quickly, but Seraphina was gone.
And in the hall, another storm erupted.
Alessia found herself cornered by two men dressed finely, their smiles too polished to be sincere.
"Hello, beautiful," one said smoothly.
She stiffened, her eyes narrowing. "Who are you?"
"Marcello Vescari," the man introduced with a flourish. "And this is my brother, Van vicker. We came not for the party, but for you."
Alessia’s breath caught.
Marcello’s hand brushed her shoulder as dress didn’t cover it because of the design, his touch audacious, invasive on her bare skin. "I love you," he whispered.
Her heart leapt, not with warmth, but with shock and disgust.
And then....
A cough. Low, deadly, familiar.
Luca.
His eyes burned with fire, his body tense with rage. The music faded, the crowd dissolved in the weight of his fury.
"You dare touch my woman?" His voice was steel, cold and final.
The room froze.
Luca turned to Ryan, his command sharp. "End the party now. Tell the guests to leave."
Then his gaze fell back on Marcello.
His voice dropped into a growl. "As for you, I will break the hand you used to touch my queen. I will decorate the walls with it."
Marcello smirked, fearless. "I am in love with her. What will you do? Mafia heir to mafia heir... your threats mean nothing."
His companion, Van vicker, tried to intervene, pleading for his friend.
But Marcello silenced him with a roar, standing tall in defiance.
Luca’s eyes darkened. "Fredo, Take him to the punishment room."
Panic rippled through the hall.
Alessia’s heart twisted in fear and anger.
She stepped forward, her voice rising.
"Luca, stop please, He is your guest. Will you truly stain our anniversary with blood?"
Luca’s jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists. "I do not forgive men who touch my woman. Never... Ever."
Her voice cracked, her anger blazing. "When will you learn to forgive? When will you stop letting vengeance define you?"
Luca froze.
Alessia’s voice rose above the silence, sharp and defiant...
"Luca Morano.... " Alessia said out of anger as he step forward to go and meet Marcello in the punishment room.
The name cracked through the hall like thunder.
Gasps echoed. To speak his full name aloud.. so boldly, and so fearlessly was forbidden.
It was an unspoken rule, a line no one dared cross.
Luca’s head snapped toward her, his eyes wide, his fury colliding with something darker, something wounded.
He turned sharply, his gaze locking onto Alessia.
And the room held its breath.....